


Cast Away to a Sea of Loss

by ArcMages



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Gen, Magic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sailors
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-11-27 12:11:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18194426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcMages/pseuds/ArcMages
Summary: — A sailor's life turned upside down.When Nanase Haruka discovers that he’s part of the “cursed” 5% population that can control water, he finds himself caught up in an adventure of confusion and loss.Along the way, he’ll embark on a mission around the Kingdom of Frais. A mission that requires him to break the law and society... by simply existing. He'll meet more people with abilities like his and together, survive the Hunters who seek to end them.





	Cast Away to a Sea of Loss

Nanase Haruka experienced the same day, everyday. Well, that's basically the definition of 'normal.' Every morning, he woke up to the voice of his best friend, Tachibana Makoto, who made it his own responsibility to make sure his business partner, his best friend, got up on time for another day of the same job they shared.

But the walk to and from the dock which held the boat they owned as transportation sailors was not even five minutes. And their schedule didn't exactly require any certain time to arrive, unless if an appointment had been requested in advance. The deal was, whenever they arrived, someone who needed their service would just catch them like a taxi. Yes, their job as sailors was comparable to a taxi on water. Except they made far more bank than a driving taxi service.

They chose to live together near the dock for convenience reasons. For one, Haru argued that the fish was always fresher closer to the sea. Specifically, he meant the mackerel. They both knew this wasn't true, but they went along with it anyways. Basically, whenever they were in Azure Town in time for dinner, they had fish which was scooped up straight from the sea during that day. Pretty fresh considering there was no need for long-distance importation.

Haru felt a hand on his shoulder shake his limp body slightly. "Haruu!" his friend called from right beside him. Haru let out a light groan as he opened his eyes. The light from the window spilled across his forehead and into his eyes. He immediately shut his lids back down, blocking out the blinding sun.

"I got some fresh bread from the local bakery earlier today while you were asleep. Let's have some carbs for breakfast today," Makoto said. "Something tells me we'll be having a long trip."

Haru responded with some sort of grunt. Waking up in the morning was by far, the hardest thing for him to achieve. Much more of a challenge than steering a boat in the storm.

"Haru, waaake up!" Makoto shook him once again. "Once we're on the boat you can catch another snooze, okay?"

Haru let a sigh escape from his lips as he pulled himself up into a slouching position. His hair was messy, he could feel certain strands poking out in random directions. His eyes went to the alarm clock (which he never actually used the alarm) beside his bed on the nightstand. It read 10AM. That was already quite late for a sailor to start the day. Most clients arrived early in the morning because a travel across the sea through the center of the Kingdom of Frais could take almost a whole day just going one way. The clients who arrived later typically had a short trip to a neighboring island.

Haru preferred the short trips. They paid less but you could catch more clients at once and could actually take a short break at the designated island. But this didn't mean it was excusable to wake up late. On the occasion, Makoto would let him sleep in while he took an early client to a neighboring island. Then he would return and start their typical morning cycle. Just the responsible man he is.

Today, Makoto simply just woke up early for the bakery's fresh-out-of-the-oven bread. He left the room while saying, "Be down in ten minutes, okay?"

In which Haru replied with a mumble of agreement. He threw the covers off his body, exposing his bare skin to the warm air that leaked in from the humidity outside. The Kingdom of Frais had two seasons: spring and fall. Climate worked strangely here. Spring was when the abundance of flowers and plants sprouted to life, wildlife became harmonious. The temperature would reach to 30C frequently, the sun was out for more than 15 hours a day. In fall, the plants' time would come to an end and the sun was out for about 12 hours or less. The temperature dropped down to a more moderate, tolerable condition. While a drop of wildlife population would occur, the fish was still plentiful. But year round, it was always windy and it frequently rained around all of the islands. The best times of the year were non-arguably the transitions between the seasons. At the time, spring had just started a couple of days ago.

Haru changed out of his loose bed clothes and threw on his sailor outfit. It didn't resemble the same uniform ship sailors wore, this one was white, theirs was a navy blue. Typically, sailors didn't wear accessories to work since they could get caught up in equipment and parts of the boat. Except the watch, they were required to wear one. But today, along with the watch, Haru decided to put on a lightweight, string choker Makoto had bought for him some time ago. This one snapped to his neck, it didn't suffocate him, nor did it ever come loose in the wind. It was perfect for a sailor.

Finishing off his ten-minute morning routine, he splashed his face with water from the sink of the bathroom and filled his water bottle using the portable filter. He then headed out into the one hallway of the house, towards the kitchen where Makoto would be. The hallway was lit across the polished wooden floor with natural light, long windows had been installed on both sides at the tops. Makoto said it would be beneficial to have a lot of windows in the house since would help them wake up and improve their mental health. And so, the house was renovated in almost every room to add windows. Haru thought it was extra of him but he didn't mind the extra light. It cut down on their electricity bill significantly... and possibly saved the environment in a way.

As he stepped into the brightly lit kitchen, Makoto greeted him with a cheery, "good morning!" in which Haru responded with one back, minus the enthusiasm. He stopped at the table which had a plate prepared for him. On the plate, a chocolate croissant. Haru recalled Makoto had mentioned buying bread, not a pastry. But he didn't question it. Perhaps the bread would be for the ride in case if today's trip would be lengthy. Haru peeled a bit of the croissant off and took a bite. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Perfect. 

Makoto joined him at the table with a croissant of his own, one with more butter added to it. He was dressed in his sailor suit already and had folded newspaper in his hand. When his eyes met with Haru's choker, he smiled to himself. Haru felt a bit awkward from the reaction but he didn't bother to react. Makoto rolled the newspaper out on the table to reveal the headline that taxes were going to be raised in the Kingdom of Frais to support the Hunter services. Each island in Frais had their own news company, this one was simply called Wick News, named after their home island.

"5% isn't too much of an increase," Makoto commented, "but I think we should work a bit more before it starts to pile up on us." Considering that they weren't close to being considered wealthy, they could still afford a one-story house by the boardwalk and plenty of necessities to survive on, they were pretty accomplished and well-managed. They never spent their extra money for conspicuous consumption. Even their watches were cheap but still durable to withstand water. 

Haru nodded. Though this meant they would have to work more often into the nights and early mornings. Which indirectly costed less time to sleep in. Perhaps it was best to bring that habit to an end anyways. He then turned the page while biting into a piece of his croissant to reveal another headline. This one was about how the Hunter branch had noticed a slight increase in Mage population as of two years ago, and confirmed this week.

Mages were the 5% of the Frais population that could control water with their mind. Their abilities were like magic, they didn't even need to touch the water to cause a whirlpool. Or a tidal wave, depending on how strong the Mage was. Haru thought that Mages were quite fascinating. However, the government couldn't disagree anymore. They started a branch called the Hunters. A Hunter's job was to specifically focus on uncovering the Mage population and exterminating them. They got special benefits and a high wage in exchange for their service. Being a Mage was illegal. So if someone was born with water-bending abilities, they were determined illegal since birth. 

The Kingdom of Frais was extremely peaceful and worked smoothly. There was hardly any competition among occupations, a low unemployment rate, and no shortage of food and productivity. Haru would argue that the only thing wrong with it, was the war between Mages and the government. The common population was pretty divided on the existence of Mages. Some argued that Mages too, were humans and deserved to be treated as such. The opposing argument saw them as sea witches, that Mages were cursed. A child was taught in their early years of school to be wary of Mages, that one could kill with a simple wave of the finger. 

There was no way to identify a Mage straight out from a group of people. They looked exactly as everyone else. Some didn't even acquire their abilities until they reached the age of 18. But never did they come after 19 (which was why the Hunter's only accepted those who were above the age of 20). The Hunter branch was said to currently be looking for ways to identify a Mage without having to uncover them through a water-related incident. Mages were only born with abilities if both of the parents were such. But that was rare, since Mages were often caught and killed before they could settle down and start a family. What made them hard to find but easy to catch, was when someone randomly acquired abilities without knowing it was even coming. And that was scary, truly terrifying for anyone who's worst fear was to be a part of the "cursed" population. For the one who wasn't born with the power, had to learn to control it out of the blue if they wanted to hide themselves. Control must've come easier for those born with it.

Haru and Makoto sided with the population that didn't hold anything against the Mages. They had never knew one personally but on the  _extremely_ rare occasion, a fellow sailor would accidentally reveal his or her powers. It was hard to watch, that one sailor fighting for her life, confused, as she was dragged away and shackled to restrain her from moving her hands. But no commoner was allowed to interfere. It was the government after all, and Hunters had all sorts of weapons loaded on them. Well, it really depended on the Hunter's preference.

On the same page of the headline, was a series of WANTED notices for Mages were lined up at the bottom. Each notice contained the most information possible to provide such as a name, picture or description, occupation, area, and affiliation. And most importantly, the level of the Mage. Curious, Haru would sometimes check the notices. Though Makoto was against that, he didn't want to know if someone was a Mage or not, because he didn't want to see other people as any other than... people themselves.

Finishing up his croissant, Haru washed the plate and placed it onto the rack off to the side of the sink. Makoto did the same after. They gathered their bags, which they always packed before heading to bed the day before, and slipped on their shoes, which were waterproof but still in decent style. They gathered their sailor hats off from the rack above the shoes and slipped them on. Sailor hats were made to never fall off the head, magically. Most of the sailors had no idea behind the science of it and just appreciated the convenience.

They headed out of the house, Makoto locking the door, and made their way towards the dock. Along the way, they passed by multiple one-story houses which were cutely decorated and colorfully painted. Most houses were painted in a sky blue color, including theirs. Not before long, they reached one of the main streets of the Azure Town, located on the Island Wick. The wide streets were bustling with people of all ages and occupations. Young children were heading to school together, store clerics welcomed people to their shop, businessmen making their way to meetings. Along the street were an abundance of shops such as clothing stores, bakeries, and grocery stores. Across from the street was the boardwalk which was directly on top of the water. Frequently, the boardwalk flooded when it rained too much. The liveliness of Azure Town enlightened Haru, Makoto smiled at many of the people whom they had passed. He was more sociable than Haru so he knew was acquainted with more of the villagers and that came with benefits like discounts. But Makoto, being the kind man he is, didn't often take advantage of the offers.

Now on the boardwalk, they passed by multiple docks which parked a bunch of boats of all sorts of sizes. Except for ships. Ships were required to settle in the Kingdom of Frais through the main Island: Island Cerise. Any other of the smaller islands were to deny the ships, many couldn't even fit ships at the dock since they weren't made for such a load. They passed by many sailors who were readying their boats, some taking off for the trip, and some speaking to clients. The two reached to their assigned dock which had a certain spot reserved for them. Upon seeing their boat, Makoto started on the preparations for a trip while Haru stood outside to wait for any clients. 

And surely enough after a few minutes, two clients showed up. Clients weren't hard to obtain as a sailor, much of the transportation in Frais occurred on water and practically everybody had to transport their goods, pay a visit, or just travel in general at some point in their time. Today's two clients were, telling by their uniforms, Hunters. They requested a service to the Storm Island, which was only named such because it rained there more frequently than the other islands. Plus, the rain there was more destructive and dangerous. But the inhabitants had learned to adapt to it with stronger building materials. Many sailor services refused to take path to the Storm Island due to the high chance of a heavy storm wrecking the ship which is likely why these two Hunters had approached Makoto and Haru rather quickly. They must've been on the lookout for arriving sailors since the other free ones had rejected them, reasonably. Haru accepted them and led them onto the boat. A trip to the Storm Island provided a better pay considering the risks. 

The deck of their boat was as of any other boat, rails were alined along the edge and along the sides of the captain's cabin. But the inside cabin for passengers was what Haru and Makoto had focused on. They made it comfy to sleep, hang out, and do one's private business. It was clean and organized. The inner walls were built with a polished wood which provided for a home-feeling style. Much of the furniture, such as the benches and table, were stuck to the boat itself. But one thing they didn't have was electricity. Most transportation sailors didn't have electricity in their ships for it was expensive and could cause a hazardous problem. It was more of ships that provided that service. But of course, Makoto had the perfect backup for that problem: built in windows. And surely enough, it worked. The room was quite well lit when the sun was out.

Haru introduced the clients to Makoto who was prepping the captain's cabin. They bowed to one another and then Haru told them they were free to use the indoor and outside areas as long as they respected the boat herself. Just the typical, everyday speech he had to give to their clients. And the same speech the clients heard each time they entered onto a transportation boat. Except many sailors had random rules to fit with their pet peeves. One of the neighboring sailor's stressed to his clients that sanitizer must be applied every two hours. But Makoto and Haru didn't have any peculiar rules.

As Haru escorted the clients to the cabin, Makoto headed off to finish the preparations. He sat across from the clients and handed them the contract paper which they each had to sign. It basically said that the sailors were not responsible for any lost items or injuries unless if a direct action was inflicted. It also was an agreement of payment. The clients handed the clipboard back to Haru who packed it away into his bag. He then told them to get comfy as he stood up to head to the sailor's cabin. There, he packed away food and personal items from his bag.

Makoto arrived in the cabin and asked Haru if the clients were ready, in which Haru replied with a "yes." Makoto gave a salute and then started the boat up. 

 

* * *

 

The trip from the Azure Island to the Storm Island was expected to take about 6 hours. Once the boat was set on the right track, Makoto and Haru joined the clients back down in the cabin. It was expected of the sailors to be friendly to the clients so they made this a habit. Haru wasn't the best at conversing so Makoto was the one who started getting acquainted. "How are you two? Is there any service you might like for us to provide?" he asked in his typical welcoming voice.

"We're good, thank you," the red-haired one replied. He had sharp teeth, a muscular build, and a sharp look in his eyes. His red hair was stringy and went down the sides of his face. One could call him attractive. "I'm Rin, by the way. Matsuoka, Rin," he introduced himself with a gruff voice. He then nudged the younger male next to him.

The male sitting beside Rin had short gray hair and a scrawny build. His features were soft and quite the opposite of manly. The two next to each other were like polar opposites. But this male looked younger than 20, the legal age to become a Hunter. "I-I'm Nitori! Aiichiro Nitori!" he stuttered with his soft voice.

"It's nice to meet you, Rin, Nitori," Makoto said with a welcoming smile. Him and Haru had already introduced themselves earlier. "What brings you to the Storm Island, if I may ask?"

"We're Hunters," Rin replied. He brought up a paper from his lap, which he had taken from the small bag he carried. It had a photo of a young man with heavy bangs of sea green hair and soft eyes with feminine lashes. "We're looking for this Mage, who was said to come from the Storm Island. We're sure glad you accepted our request. The other sailors are too cowardice to make some money." He held a consistent mischievous grin to his face as he spoke. Add a cigar between his teeth, and the character would be complete.

Haru focused his eyes on the picture. The fact that this Mage looked just like any other normal person does, welled up some sort of pity within him. It felt like this Hunter was tracking down an ordinary person. He couldn't help but to ask, "Is there anything special about this Mage?" At least it showed that he had some sort of interest in what the Hunter had to say.

"His name is Kirishima Ikuya. He's classified to be a level 4 Mage as of recently. So he's dangerous. It's no surprise he's hiding out on the Storm Island. " Rin replied. He leaned back against the wall. Though the cabin was a bit tight so his head almost touched the cabinet above him. This man spoke with radiating confidence that said he felt proud to be assigned to this mission.

Haru knew the leveling system that measured how powerful A Mage was. Everybody did, they were taught this in elementary school. Level 1 was the weakest while 5 was the strongest. Most Mages were classified in Level 2, which meant low control and weaker abilities, or a 3, in the middle of weak and and strong. The higher the level, the more powerful the Mage was. But strength of a Mage didn't often determine how well he or she could control the powers. An extremely powerful Mage that would summon a hurricane (level 5) could do it completely by accident in their own distress. Since this Ikuya was Level 4, that meant he was pretty strong and could pose a threat. But that didn't mean he was a dangerous person himself. To Haru, it all depended on the person. But the Hunter's disagreed. Any Mage higher than level was a complete threat to Frais.

Makoto was superior at acting as if he was interested. He asked enthusiastically, "Then you must be an experienced Hunter! Tell us, any interesting stories of your adventures?"

A wide grin spread across Rin's features at the question. Makoto surely got him. He then proceeded to tell the two sailors stories of his time as a Hunter, despite having less than 3 years of experience. He told of a time when he engaged in a battle with a Mage and won, a time when he dressed undercover to catch a Mage. He then added, "All I got left on my list is to be knocked overboard by one and survive it."

To be honest, the stories were interesting. But Haru still felt it was somewhat immoral to hunt people down just to kill them for being gifted. Or should he say, cursed. He wondered where and what this Ikuya was doing right now. He could only imagined life as an exposed Mage to be all running and hiding. 

For a good length of the ride, Rin fell asleep with Nitori sitting awkwardly beside him, anxiously twitching with his fingers. The boat rocked side to side steadily but Rin's built and heavy figure kept himself stable and in place.

Haru joined Makoto up out on the deck. The sun was still high up in the sky above them. When above water on a moving boat, the heat couldn't catch up. Actually, the wind made the temperature more chilly. They stood together against the rail, looking out at the vast, sparkling sea before them. Barely any land was in sight, there was only a speck of green off in the distance— another island they had to pass by in order to reach Storm Island. The weather was still clear with no signs of any storm. They still had at most, 5 hours left.

"When we get there, want to just head straight back after finding a client? If we can, that is," Makoto asked. "Do you know what they say about Storm Island?"

No, Haru didn't know. He barely kept up with the news. He just wanted to live in oblivion, without any worries of the government or rumors. He shook his head.

"Storm Island is notorious for sheltering the most dangerous Mages. Rumor has it that the frequent storms there are caused by the powerful Mages themselves to keep away outsiders." He shifted his position so his arms pushed against the rail and rested his weight against it. "Not sure if it's true but if that were the case, it's certainly working."

While the climate at Storm Island was certainly a little peculiar, Haru never thought much about it. After all, he didn't live there nor did he often take trips there (since no one else but Hunters had a need to go there), but he considered this rumor. It provided a decent explanation. But honestly, he could care less about it.

Going back to Makoto's original proposition, Haru agreed along with it. In case of a storm overnight, it was best to sail out of it immediately and spend the rest of the night on a boat in the middle of the sea than to go through the trouble of having to tie up the boat in the midst of heavy rain and finding a hotel in an unfamiliar place. 

"No need to tire yourself, Haru," Makoto said. "I'll be on watch, it's no problem since we're on track. There's nothing else for you to do anyways."

True. Haru had no other responsibilities besides taking over for Makoto when he needed rest. Or helping him out when a problem occurred— which was a rare case. His job was mainly to deal with the clients, contrary to their personalities, so for now, he was free. The thing about being a sailor was that you only took serious action when the weather turned bad or when the boat had a mechanical problem.

Haru remembered he had packed a book to get lost in for the ride earlier. It was a common pass-time among sailors along with cards. Though smoking was the top, since you could actually do that on the deck in the fresh air. But neither Haru nor Makoto smoked. They would much rather keep their lungs clean to take in deep breaths of the fresh, salty air.

"If you ever need me, find me in the captain's cabin," he said before excusing himself off the deck. He then entered into the captain's cabin which was located right in the middle of the deck. It was a tight space where the steering was done. And all sides, thick windows allowed a plentiful amount of light in. Haru grabbed his traveling bag and pulled out an average-sized book consisting of about 300 pages. The paper was starting to turn yellow at the edges and many of them had become a wavy from the humidity. Regardless of it's state, it was still his favorite book. One that he brought everywhere with him and reread on practically every single trip since he had gotten it to replace his previous book companion. He stayed loyal to only one at a time until they either flew off in the wind or transformed into a state which was no longer a book anymore.

He flipped the pages open to a random page somewhere in the middle. A page that he naturally consistently turned to simply from muscle memory, though it wasn't on purpose. His eyes ran across the series of words. They brought him to another world. A world where his problems became nonexistent. A world where he wasn't constantly surrounded by water. A world he could explore over and over again, to escape his own (not that he disliked the Kingdom of Frais, it was pretty decent). When he read, everything else around him ceased to exist, even time. And eventually, he drifted off into a slight slumber on the bench and everything went silent.

 

* * *

 

"Haru! Haru!"

Makoto's urgent tone startled Haru awake. He jolted up and looked at his friend's worry-filled eyes. "It's the storm," Makoto said. "It's here."

Upon hearing the word "storm," Haru knew this wouldn't be good news. He brought himself to the window where his eyes laid upon the waterfall of droplets shooting from the thunderous clouds. And in the distance, towards the direction the boat went, he could see the shadow of Storm Island clouded by fog. The boat rocked, causing him to loose balance a bit since he had just woken up and was still a bit woozy. 

Makoto gripped the steering wheel, ready to take full control of the helm in case if any serious turbulence were to occur. This wasn't the first time they had to battle a storm. As sailors, they were required to pass a test which included surviving a storm. That part of the test took place near Storm Island. They knew exactly what to do in case of multiple emergencies. But still, having to confront a storm directly was exactly as walking straight into danger. There was no guarantee for what could happen. They had the clients' trust in them, and each other's.

While the storm outside did look a little worrisome for the two sailors, the destined island was at least in sight. It wouldn't be long before they arrived.

"Have you spoken to Rin and Nitori yet?" Haru asked.

"I warned them of the storm when it was upcoming about an hour ago," Makoto replied. "I told them what to do, just stay in the cabin. And what to do if an emergency were to happen."

"Good."

Haru then stood beside Makoto at the steering wheel. He squinted in hopes of any clearer view of the island but it didn't seem to be coming in any closer.

A sudden force slammed into the boat, knocking Haru off balance by surprise. Makoto put a foot back and caught Haru's body with a single arm, bringing him back up. "You should hold on," he said.

Haru nodded. "Sorry."

Just then, Makoto let out a gasp. Haru saw it too, his eyes widened in alarm. Out on the deck before them, Nitori emerged from the cabin. Immediately, he lost his balance with the rocking boat and his body flew across the wet deck. He desperately reached for the rail and clung to it. He tried to pull body up, but the force of the wind kept knocking his small body down.

"What... what is he doing?!" Makoto panicked. Sweat poured down the side of his face.

"I'll get him," Haru declared. As he clicked open the cabin door and exited out, making sure to hold onto the rails along the outer walls, he could hear Makoto shouting his name. He shut the door, preventing anymore rain from getting in. The drive of the wind immediately slammed against his body and the rain pounded on him like a series of needles. Each of them stung. The floor of the deck was slippery. He carefully pulled himself towards the front of the deck. He kept his eyes on Nitori who didn't even bothering to bring himself up onto his feet, instead he let go with one hand and pointed it up at the gray clouds. He shouted sometime inaudible.

_What the hell is he doing?_

Rin's voice roared from the passenger cabin door, though Haru couldn't make out what he had said. He stepped out into view, holding onto the railings, bringing himself towards the direction of the younger male. Haru let out a gasp. He arrived on the front part of the deck, keeping his focus on the two. He didn't even look back at Makoto. His eyes shot around the deck for a way to more safely but also conveniently reach Rin and Nitori. But the only way would be to cling to the edge, he couldn't cut through the middle without risking loosing balance. And that's what he did.

Haru quickly let go of the cabin wall rail and hopped over to the rails at the edge of the boat. He pulled himself through the rain, his whole body was soaked, his clothes clung to his body. With his clumped up, wet bangs stuck to his face, he squinted his eyes to prevent any water from hitting them. Nitori kept screaming something, it kept getting intercepted by Rin's gruff shouts. As he brought himself closer, he could make out the word "stop" repeatedly escaping Nitori's mouth. But what Nitori was shouting at, he didn't know.

Rin grabbed onto Nitori's frail arm and pulled him backwards, towards the cabin. His feet were digging into the deck, holding himself up. Nitori tried to fight Rin's grasp which now wrapped across his chest, he wriggled and struggled. He let out a sob, one that rang out through the chaos. But his tears weren't visible, they blended in with the rest of the raindrops that collided onto his smooth face. 

Finally, Haru reached them. He shouted reached out and grabbed Nitori's free arm from behind Rin, the other hand keeping a grip onto the bar. With all of his might, he pulled Nitori back, the younger male's small body worked with the wind which tried to suck him away. 

"LET GO!" Nitori screamed at the top of his lungs. "I CAN STOP THE STORM!" Haru wasn't sure what this had meant. Neither did it matter. He did not let go.

Suddenly, Haru's foot balance was shot off, he slipped onto the deck floor as a wave of water flooded across the deck. His side slammed onto the smooth surface, he let out a cry of pain as his arm, smacked on the bar. Immediately, he grabbed the bar again. Pain rippled across his arm and body.

Rin had also fallen, his back was pressed against the rail which held him back from the raging water below. Nitori hadn't fallen though. He ran across the deck to the tip of the front and let his hands fly free, as if confronting the storm itself. He released a scream, one that ripped through the storm, traveling around the boat. The raindrops in front of the boat cleared, creating a gate like moving a curtain off to the side.

Haru's mouth dropped open. He heard Rin let out a deep gasp. But what Nitori had done wasn't enough. The storm all around still rampaged. And off to the side of the boat, a tidal wave of water had formed. It crashed down onto the deck, creating a mini earthquake, water splattering in all directions. Haru watched in horror as the massive flood of water consumed Nitori, then made it's way for him and Rin. Without a second thought, he took in a deep breath and snatched Rin's wrist.

His hearing ceased into bubbles and turbulent water mixing in with each other. The world around him shifted into a blur of gray. His breathing had been cut off. Holding on tightly to Rin's wrist, he felt his body being thrown on all directions. A piercing pain slapped onto his back. It was then he realized he went overboard.

The waves argued over which way they should go, he tumbled and turned uncontrollably. He opened his eyes in the chaos, they stung from the salt. Beyond him, was a void of black. It was ready to swallow him, to steal him away. His heart pounded in his ears, he shot his head to Rin who had his lips parted, bubbles slipping through. He was out of air.

Fighting against the war, he didn't let go of Rin as he kicked his way upwards to the surface of the water, his legs pushing against gravity itself. Exhaustion burdened his body. Another wave of water seared through, tossing him back down, deeper into the void. His chest hurt. He was running out of air. His throat screamed to open and take in a deep swallow of the water as if it could be air.

He reached out for the gray light. _This can't be happening._

Black particles started to take over his vision.  _I'm going to drown. I'm going to die._

His lips parted, desperate for air. But there was none. His insides burned.

_Please, save me. I can't do it anymore. I can't end it here._

And with that, a crash of water slammed into him from down up, shooting him and Rin out from underneath the barrier. His lungs desperately swallowed air, soothing the burn. His body was out of energy, he could barely move but only hold onto Rin who also gasped for air. He landed on a wave of water. But it was like there was a plate beneath the wave, one that held him and Rin up from submerging underneath. Regaining back his stability, he pressed down on the wave and brought himself to look up before him. The island was coming in close.

_What's happening...?_

He looked over at Rin, who was coughing up water from his lungs. Looking down at the water supporting him up, he realized what was going on. His eyes widened as he watched the island come in closer and closer, growing bigger. He whipped his head back in search of the boat, for Makoto, but it was out of sight. 

And soon enough, they had reached the shore. The wave slid their bodies onto the rough sand, away from the reach of the water which attempted to pull itself up further onto the island. Haru lay limp, the side of his face pressed onto the sand. Across from him, Rin was unconscious. He let out a sigh of relief, his mind growing hazy.

_I'm... alive?_

His vision started to fade out, the sound of the rushing waves behind him muffled itself. The feeling of raindrops slapping at his back eased. He shivered from the cold, the wind that attempted to push him once again. His mind ceased to think, to take in what had just happened. 

And then, there was nothing.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter because I plan to work really hard for this story!  
> This is actually the longest, most detailed chapter I've ever written so I'm pushing myself.


End file.
